How to help stitches heal help!

How to help stitches heal help!

Not sure if Iím posting in the right place or not but just wondering if anyone has tried lavender oil in the bath to help heal stitches. Iv had an episiotomy and forceps and tore in several places internally and externally. I was old by midwife to only have plain baths and not to put anything in just water but Iv heard somewhere that lavender oil and milk in the bath helps to soothe and heal stitches and pain. Has anyone heard of this or tried it? Iím 11 days pp today.

Hi Love You've taken me right back - I had 2 very tricky forceps deliveries of my massive babies !! Salt baths I highly recommend, I probably wouldn't use an oil just yet but that is just me . Take Arnica tablets if you are still bruised - I was black down to my knees ! And when you get out of the bath , sit very glamorously with your legs apart to let everything dry very thoroughly and if you can't do that ,use hairdryer on your undercarriage
Just to cheer you up , I was a massive mess of stitches and I can honestly say that I went 100% back to normal. It was 5-6 weeks until I could try sex and although a bit painful , definitely after 3 months all was good again.
Eating well helps recovery as does stopping smoking for a while if you do XX

Hello,
You poor thing! Taken me right back. My little girl is now 17 months but you've taken me back to those first weeks after birth.
I too had emergency forceps and episiotomy and tore.
I was terrified of never healing properly. The pain of sitting and moving was horrid.
But it does get better! And in a few weeks time you'll feel back to normal again I promise!
By 6 weeks I was fully healed! Had sex at 6 weeks too, slightly painful but overall fine.
As previous poster said, I'd probably avoid oils, it I did sprinkle some salt in but otherwise I kept my washes and baths all plain. It wasn't nice but I think it's best to avoid anything that may irritate!
I did however put a LOT of witchhazel on a massive period pad (night time ones) and that was such a massive relief! Straight in your knickers and instant relief!
I hope you heal well, and are getting as much rest as you can! X

I also just read your other post and it sounds as though we had exactly the same birthing experience... Definitely NOT the calm water birth I planned!
Difficult all the way through then rushed to emergency delivery where i pushed for 2 hours then rushed to theatre for emergency forceps.
I promise it does get easier to come to terms with. My daughter is 17 months old.
I have to say, I don't ever want anymore children and I think my birth has made that decision for me. But I rarely think about the experience nowadays. She's my everything and she was worth it. Since then, I've gotten divorced and we're now by ourselves but it doesn't matter because she's just my whole world!
The birth was traumatic. It'll take a while to heal. I had counselling which helped massively! And a good support network is also key. I'm always here if you need to chat x

I also just read your other post and it sounds as though we had exactly the same birthing experience... Definitely NOT the calm water birth I planned!
Difficult all the way through then rushed to emergency delivery where i pushed for 2 hours then rushed to theatre for emergency forceps.
I promise it does get easier to come to terms with. My daughter is 17 months old.
I have to say, I don't ever want anymore children and I think my birth has made that decision for me. But I rarely think about the experience nowadays. She's my everything and she was worth it. Since then, I've gotten divorced and we're now by ourselves but it doesn't matter because she's just my whole world!
The birth was traumatic. It'll take a while to heal. I had counselling which helped massively! And a good support network is also key. I'm always here if you need to chat x

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Hey thanks for your replies!

I really have been struggling to get my head around the trauma of the birth very often I sit and cry about it because I had no choice but to just be cut up like a piece of meat and I was told I didnít matter my baby cane first which I understand but I felt like there was no concern at all about me just did whatever they had to do to me to get my baby out safely. I felt useless and hopeless then and itís how I feel now. Itís not postnatal depression itís literally only to do with the birth and the recover process that Iím really struggling with also. Made the mistake of looking down there to find it looks unrecognisable and like a car crash. I donít have a vagina anymore (canít see an opening much at all) my urethra has dropped down so so low. Iím still in constant pain with an infected episiotomy. I also have a little flesh lump just inside which I thought looked like my cervix but I have no idea what it is Iím not sure. A friend said it may be the tissues knitting together. I just donít know Iím so scared about prolapses.
Iím sorry to hear youíve gone through a divorce thatís such a shame and I hope our okay.
Iv already decided I will have another one if Iím lucky enough but going to go straight in for a c-section rather than have all that again xxx

I literally just washed myself down there with plain warm water in the shower and I healed fine. You donít really need to add anything like lavender, just clean it with warm water and dab yourself dry and youíll heal fine.

I used salt in the bath after my episiotomy and let air get to my stitches for few minutes a day it help loads , got told off by my midwife but didnít havenít the patience to sit around and let things heal in itís own time like she suggested .

I used salt in the bath after my episiotomy and let air get to my stitches for few minutes a day it help loads , got told off by my midwife but didnít havenít the patience to sit around and let things heal in itís own time like she suggested .

The reason she probably told you off is because salt is known to dissolve your stitches quicker than they are meant to resolving in your wound not healing as it should. My stitches came apart by themselves so that was very painful lol.

OP, I used a portable toilet bidet which helped alot so I didn't have to wipe and as the previous comments have said, I just sat there and let air get to it. X

I gave birth to my little boy on 12th October this year and similarly to you had an episiotomy and ventouse delivery. I was in agony the following day after the stronger painkillers had gotten out of my system and ended up in and out of hospital twice with a haematoma inside my vagina. Trust you're body and if you think something isn't right, get checked thoroughly. The first time I went to hospital I was totally fobbed off and told it was normal after a midwife literally peeped at my wound. The second time I refused to be fobbed off because I know my own body and although I've never had a baby before I knew it wasn't 'normal' to not be able to get out of bed in the night when my baby was crying without almost screaming in agony or be able to simply walk without a searing pain rushing through my entire body!!

At the end of week 1 I felt like I had turned a corner though was still very sore from both the episiotomy and having 3 different doctor's hands inside my vag only 4 days after birth but still feeling slightly better nonetheless. My midwife gave me a prescription for prontosan wash to use in the shower and a wound gel to aid healing but I was only allowed to use that sparingly and not often cause it can cause the skin to heal too quickly (think this is something to do with the stitches) I showered often in the early days and have only just started using soaps in that area the past 2 weeks or so.

Speak to your midwife and see if she can prescribe you anything to aid healing, keep the area clean, avoid using anything perfumed in that area. Cut yourself some slack, your body has been through so much trauma but you will heal in time. If you want to chat feel free to message me.

The reason she probably told you off is because salt is known to dissolve your stitches quicker than they are meant to resolving in your wound not healing as it should. My stitches came apart by themselves so that was very painful lol.

OP, I used a portable toilet bidet which helped alot so I didn't have to wipe and as the previous comments have said, I just sat there and let air get to it. X

I really have been struggling to get my head around the trauma of the birth very often I sit and cry about it because I had no choice but to just be cut up like a piece of meat and I was told I didnít matter my baby cane first which I understand but I felt like there was no concern at all about me just did whatever they had to do to me to get my baby out safely. I felt useless and hopeless then and itís how I feel now. Itís not postnatal depression itís literally only to do with the birth and the recover process that Iím really struggling with also. Made the mistake of looking down there to find it looks unrecognisable and like a car crash. I donít have a vagina anymore (canít see an opening much at all) my urethra has dropped down so so low. Iím still in constant pain with an infected episiotomy. I also have a little flesh lump just inside which I thought looked like my cervix but I have no idea what it is Iím not sure. A friend said it may be the tissues knitting together. I just donít know Iím so scared about prolapses.
Iím sorry to hear youíve gone through a divorce thatís such a shame and I hope our okay.
Iv already decided I will have another one if Iím lucky enough but going to go straight in for a c-section rather than have all that again xxx

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I'm so sorry that you went through that. Having a birth which is emotionally traumatic is awful.

Get some rubber gloves, like the well-fitting ones which are used for dyeing hair. Fill them with water and freeze them. Then, once frozen, break off one of the fingers and place the actual ice cube next to your stitches and put on a large, clean pad. Change the pad once the ice has melted.

The lump you can feel is an area of inflammation surrounding one of the stitches. It will take about three months to disappear.

Ask at the chemist's for some homeopathic Bellis Perennis. This helps bruised areas to heal.

Ask your midwife to remove some of the remains of the stitches. This will being enormous relief.

I'm a midwife, so would also like you to know that I have delivered loads of women who had terrible first births with great (temporary) damage to their perineums. More often than not, the second and subsequent births happened quickly and without the need for stitches. I understand where you're coming from regarding asking for a caesarean section next time, but there isn't any need to fear that the same sort of birth will happen again.

I once delivered a woman's fifth baby and it was the only one where she didn't have an episiotomy of stitches. The baby was her biggest, too.

Time is the only thing that heals wounds to the perineum. I do think that you need a birth debriefing with a sympathetic midwife.

I literally just washed myself down there with plain warm water in the shower and I healed fine. You donít really need to add anything like lavender, just clean it with warm water and dab yourself dry and youíll heal fine.

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I did this too and it was fine. I didnít soak myself in a salt water bath, just a few minutes in a small bath to give it a clean. It healed really well.

I literally just washed myself down there with plain warm water in the shower and I healed fine. You donít really need to add anything like lavender, just clean it with warm water and dab yourself dry and youíll heal fine.

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Yeah thatís what I was doing but I was finding it hard to do because I was so scared touching anywhere down there and found it hard to dry it properly and keep it dry. Apparently itís common for episiotomy to become infected. Itís more the constant worrying of a prolapse Iím struggling with. It may not be one but I donít know why else i would have something sitting just inside me I thought it looked like my cervix which is scary as it should be much higher up.
I have a horrible feeling Iím just going to be useless and ruined and either never have sex again or have to go through a reconstruction or something. I even had a nurse tell me I may need another op to reconstruct x

I used salt in the bath after my episiotomy and let air get to my stitches for few minutes a day it help loads , got told off by my midwife but didnít havenít the patience to sit around and let things heal in itís own time like she suggested .

I really have been struggling to get my head around the trauma of the birth very often I sit and cry about it because I had no choice but to just be cut up like a piece of meat and I was told I didnít matter my baby cane first which I understand but I felt like there was no concern at all about me just did whatever they had to do to me to get my baby out safely. I felt useless and hopeless then and itís how I feel now. Itís not postnatal depression itís literally only to do with the birth and the recover process that Iím really struggling with also. Made the mistake of looking down there to find it looks unrecognisable and like a car crash. I donít have a vagina anymore (canít see an opening much at all) my urethra has dropped down so so low. Iím still in constant pain with an infected episiotomy. I also have a little flesh lump just inside which I thought looked like my cervix but I have no idea what it is Iím not sure. A friend said it may be the tissues knitting together. I just donít know Iím so scared about prolapses.
Iím sorry to hear youíve gone through a divorce thatís such a shame and I hope our okay.
Iv already decided I will have another one if Iím lucky enough but going to go straight in for a c-section rather than have all that again xxx

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I'm so sorry to hear you're having further problems with your healing. I was really petrified of these things so I can't even imagine how you're feeling. I was lucky that I healed very well. Like the others are saying, plain baths and air as much as you can!
I remember the pain and the discomfort and I promise you come the 6 week or so mark when you're starting to heal properly, you will start feeling better.
Are you able to talk to anyone about what you went through with the birth?
I was able to talk about it and it really helped my emotional healing. I was so upset with my after care, I was chucked on a ward and not shown how to breastfeed or given any one to one care and I couldn't breastfeed so she was formula fed from the start. I was so upset and traumatised from the birth and the whole experience but I promise it does get easier and you will come to terms with what's happened.
Just remember to lean on all of us for support when you need it xx

I'm so sorry to hear you're having further problems with your healing. I was really petrified of these things so I can't even imagine how you're feeling. I was lucky that I healed very well. Like the others are saying, plain baths and air as much as you can!
I remember the pain and the discomfort and I promise you come the 6 week or so mark when you're starting to heal properly, you will start feeling better.
Are you able to talk to anyone about what you went through with the birth?
I was able to talk about it and it really helped my emotional healing. I was so upset with my after care, I was chucked on a ward and not shown how to breastfeed or given any one to one care and I couldn't breastfeed so she was formula fed from the start. I was so upset and traumatised from the birth and the whole experience but I promise it does get easier and you will come to terms with what's happened.
Just remember to lean on all of us for support when you need it xx

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Iím having at least one bath daily and airing afterwards for about half an hour which seems to help. There has been some small improvement in the pain now the infection is under control. Last day of antibiotics so nervous incase t comes back. I constantly feel like I have a uti too but urine is coming up clear when tested so 🤷*♀️
I hope by 6 weeks Iím doing better. Little one is 3 weeks old tomorrow so Iím half way there hopefully!
I find it so hard to believe I will heal because everything is all in the wrong place I feel really uncomfortable and like last night I was walking round Tesco and the pain just got worse and worse and I felt like all my bits were just uncomfortable and falling in the wrong places itís awful just hope itís all normal.

I intend to go to birth reflections after Xmas to talk about the birth and experience plus the after care. Iím hoping it will help me come to terms with things a bit more.

Iím sorry to hear your after care was appalling but Iím pleased you were able to talk to someone about it. Xxx

Iím having at least one bath daily and airing afterwards for about half an hour which seems to help. There has been some small improvement in the pain now the infection is under control. Last day of antibiotics so nervous incase t comes back. I constantly feel like I have a uti too but urine is coming up clear when tested so *
I hope by 6 weeks Iím doing better. Little one is 3 weeks old tomorrow so Iím half way there hopefully!
I find it so hard to believe I will heal because everything is all in the wrong place I feel really uncomfortable and like last night I was walking round Tesco and the pain just got worse and worse and I felt like all my bits were just uncomfortable and falling in the wrong places itís awful just hope itís all normal.

I intend to go to birth reflections after Xmas to talk about the birth and experience plus the after care. Iím hoping it will help me come to terms with things a bit more.

Iím sorry to hear your after care was appalling but Iím pleased you were able to talk to someone about it. Xxx

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How are you feeling? I hope you're ok. Try to remember the pains you're feeling are normal. I remember walking like I was constipated around Asda because I was in so much pain. People don't realise just how much you're hurting. I couldn't get on the floor to change baby, I couldn't stand for long for equally sitting was really painful too.
It's a massive trauma to the body but I can't stress enough to you how much things WILL get better and you will heal in time! Your baby is still tiny and you've only just come through this. Another few weeks and you'll feel so much better.
Try to relax as much as you can over Christmas xx

Hi, your birth sounds horrible I'm sorry to hear that . The things u talk about hit home with me as I was diagnosed with PTSD after having 2 babies and it took a lot of time to heal psychologically and physically from it (I'm facing reconstruction) to get over it but one way or another you will get better take the time to let yourself process it..ask as many questions as you need to understand what happened and why even if they sound stupid... I literally went in to birth afterthought with a list. And when I got home I wrote all the answers so that they were there if I needed them .
As for healing, I loved used lavender in milk in the bath and I think it definitely helped with the healing ... The midwife brought some for me just afterwards (about day 5) and told me to use it !
Hope Ur starting to feel more human and don't over do it, give your body the time it needs to actually heal!! XX